STUDY GUIDE FOR INTERNATIONAL YOUTH MEDIA SUMMIT BELGRADE, SERBIA AUGUST 2011 Questions, discussions, and exercises

to accompany the PSA for Poverty. PRIOR TO SCREENING THE PSA 1. Designate two or three students to be the poor people. They will be on the floor of the classroom, acting as beggars. The rest of the class will play the middle class or upper classes. These students will be given a card on which will be written a specific reaction to poor people (Look down on them; Give them money; Give them food; Walk away in disgust). Each student will act out their part as given on the card. Afterwards, discuss the social stigmatization that poor people are subjected to, how everyone felt during the exercise, and what we can do to redefine our view of poor people. 2. Pass out index cards to all students and ask them the question: What do you think is the main cause of poverty? Ask students to only write ONE answer on their index cards. Collect the cards and post them up on the board underneath the heading, CAUSES OF POVERTY before the PSA screening, so all students can see. 3. Post up a map of the world on the board. Give each student a magnet or pin or sticker, to be used as an indicator. Students will go up to the map and indicate which country or place they think is poverty-stricken. Examine the density of the indicators in each country. Which country received the most indicators? Why is that? What do the countries with the most indicators have in common? (Answers would vary from natural disasters, third world countries, corruption of government, etc.) See if those answers are related to the CAUSES OF POVERTY of Exercise #2. 4. Divide the students into even groups of at least four. Each group will receive a description of a countrys poverty level and situation; each group will have a different country. The students must act as diplomats/delegates from the country and craft solutions for each specific countrys situation. Afterwards, all the groups will share their countrys poverty problems and the solutions they proposed. Discussion afterwards is optional. FOLLOWING THE SCREENING 1. Discuss the last scene with the students. Try to enable the students to realize that the pie symbolizes the short-term solution to poverty while the book is the long-term solution to poverty. Ask the students, What do you think was a better gift to the poor kid the pie or the book? Why? Explain. Encourage debate among students. Ask provocative questions, enabling the students to rethink and try to back up their positions. In the end, try to close with the point that we need BOTH solutions to combat poverty. 2. Write WHOSE FAULT IS IT ANYWAY? on the board and reflect on its meaning and implications. Try to lead the students to realize the many causes such as societys materialism, medias pressure, and the actions of the rich kids parents that contribute to shaping the rich kids greed. Make three lists for these three factors (society, media, and parents) and underneath each title

have students contribute examples (ex: billboard of Coke for society, song about fashion for media, and parents giving iPods to seven-year-olds, etc). 3. Hand out various magazines on fashion, sports, cars, tabloids, etc. Have the students create a collage showing the influences of society promoting materialism and consumerism. The pictures will basically be cut-outs of ads but the students must choose ads that creatively try to sell their products. The students will write on a separate paper about the methods and subtle messages that the ad sends out in order to make their product seem more attractive. 4. Split students into groups of at least four and give each group a medium to work with. This medium can include, but is not limited to, social media (Facebook, Twitter, blogging, etc.), print media (newspapers, newsletters, magazines), broadcasting (radio, television), public relations, etc. Each group must think of ways to solve, prevent, or spread awareness about poverty through their specific mediums. For a project, have students actually use their medium in real life so that they can experience what they are capable of educating those around them, spreading the word about global issues, and truly making a change in their community. 5. Hand out index cards and ask each student to write down one action they will take in the next week/month to contribute to the elimination of poverty in their city, neighborhood, and/or community.